


Like the Ocean Under the Moon

by reliablyimperfect



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: American setting, Dad!Liam, Fluff, I Spy - Freeform, Kid Fic, M/M, No Smut, Road Trips, Trucker!Zayn, car games, dyslexic character, parent!Liam
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-03
Updated: 2020-08-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:20:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25686442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reliablyimperfect/pseuds/reliablyimperfect
Summary: Liam spends the roadtrip with his daughter entertaining her. She immediately catches on to coaxing truckers to honk their horn and is instantly enamored with a cute raven-haired truck driver that gets caught in traffic next to them. She is saddened when the traffic eases up and Liam drives off without waiting for the truck.But what about the truck driver?
Relationships: Zayn Malik/Liam Payne
Comments: 1
Kudos: 31





	Like the Ocean Under the Moon

**Author's Note:**

> Man, I am just on a roll with these stories. I think it's both to make up for my lack of writing for like four years and also to make up for the fact that schools start back up soon, and I probably won't be able to write like I am now with work.  
> This was inspired by a road trip I just took with my mom. We drove for 18 hours across six states and I, at 23 years of age, got a HUGE kick out of getting truckers to honk at me. I put my baby face to use.  
> Title is from Smooth - Santana  
> I think this is the only thing (of substance) I've ever written that didn't include smut. Go me!  
> Anyway, hope you enjoy.

The white-noise of the road was beginning to grate on Liam’s nerves. With a quick glance in the rearview mirror, he caught sight of a bored face and tired eyes behind him. Road trips were hard for him, much less the six-year-old in the back seat. He felt bad; every time he couldn’t afford the expense of airline tickets, it was nearly twelve hours his daughter was stuck in a car, driving between their house and her mom’s. Thankfully, it was only once a year that he had to make the drive, during the summer, but his heart ached when he had to bundle the small girl up in her mom’s car so mother and daughter could make the long drive over the Christmas holidays.

“Avery, want to play a game?” Her bright green eyes met his in the mirror, a hint of excitement hidden there that Liam easily picked up on. She didn’t even need to nod, although she did, before Liam knew the answer.

“Yes, Daddy! Please?”

“Alright. I spy with my little eye, something that is…” Liam paused, for dramatic effect, but also to find something. “Something…purple!”

Avery’s eyes immediately dropped from looking in the mirror, searching out the window excitedly. He watched between glances at the road as she ran her eyes over the foreground, all the way to the horizon, where the water tower for the next town was just coming into focus. He saw her eyes brighten instantly. He’d have to choose a harder one next time; she was too smart.

“Water tower! Easy!” She grinned into the mirror. He held off her turn until it came into view, asking her what town they were going to be driving through next.

“Bizz-mrak?” She questioned, face pinched like she knew she was wrong.

“Spell it out, love.”

“B-I-S-M-R-A-C-K.”

“You’ve got the R and A flipped,” He correctly softly. “Try again?”

“B-I-S-M-A-R-C-K?”

“Yes! Very good. Now, sound it out again.”

“Bizz-mrack was wrong. ‘Cause it’s A and _then_ R,” She thought aloud as the water tower flew past the window, becoming smaller and smaller as they continued to drive. “So, Bizz-mark!” Her lips wrapped easily around the word, recognized from the many times they travelled this route. Liam liked to test her dyslexia during drives, asking her to keep an eye out for specific exit numbers or letters on license plates.

“Yes, ma’am! We are in Bismarck, North Dakota,” Liam smiled into the rearview mirror when she glanced up. “Now it’s your turn, sweetheart.”

“Okay, okay. I spy something with my little eye that is green!” She crowed.

“Really, babes?” Liam asked, eyeing the blurred acres of green trees and grass on either side of them. “Not going easy on me, huh?” She shook her head, and he laughed.

It took Liam nearly ten minutes of guessing random things before he finally gave up. He had to plead for Avery to just tell him so they could move on, laying it on thicker as her giggles rose in volume. When she’d caught her breath, she’d described the green car that they’d driven past.

“Avery, that’s not fair, love,” Liam chuckled. “I never would’ve guessed that. We need to pick things that _both_ of us are able to see.”

After Liam’s next turn, (he’d spied something silver, praising Avery exuberantly when she guessed the chrome spinners mounted to the tires on the car next to them) he gently reminded her to either pick something common, like axels, or something they wouldn’t pass by so he would be able to see it and guess correctly.

“I spy something blue!”

“The sky?” Liam asked immediately.

“Nope.” Avery shook her head, making Liam’s eyes wander over the landscape again. His eyes narrowed on a painted barn in the distance that looked suspiciously like the color in question but held off on the guess. After guessing the license plate of a car nearby, the paint job of a tractor trailer that they caught up with, and Avery’s water bottle that was nestled in her booster seat’s cup holder, Liam chose the barn.

“Yes! Good job, Daddy!”

The simple game of iSpy occupied Avery until they stopped for lunch in Jamestown, just over halfway between Avery’s mom’s house and their own. Wolf Point, Montana had a small-town vibe that Liam’s ex wife had always loved. She had dreamed of living where everyone knew everyone, and she could bike everywhere. He remembered that, for their first Christmas as a family of three, Liam had found Sophia a bike at a garage sale. There was a baby attachment on the back that allowed her to strap Avery in and take the happy baby on rides. That was nearly seven years ago; Avery had only been a few months old at the time.

Their own home, in Duluth, Minnesota, was nestled on the outer limits of the much larger town. The small family of two lived near the water, much to Avery’s delight. Even the chill of the water that was present in the summer couldn’t keep her away. It didn’t take long for Liam to teach her how to skip rocks on the surface of Lake Superior. Finding such a beautiful plot of land and being able to look outside his house and take in one of the Great Lakes was his second biggest accomplishment, the first being his daughter.

They settled on a place to eat just off the highway, headed in, and grabbed a table. They read over their options in near-silence, Avery’s mumbles floating in the air as she sounded out the words on the pages. Liam was so proud of her hard work. This previous year, first grade for her, she had scored very well on her reading assessments throughout the year. Liam received a nice phone call to commend him on the work he must’ve been putting in at home. That night, he’d made Avery’s favorite dinner in celebration.

Before too long, they finished their meal and were settled in the truck to pull back onto the road and continue their drive. They’d left a little late this morning, just after seven, and Liam figured that he’d finish out the last hour or so by himself as Avery’s day caught up with her. He wasn’t, however, expecting her to curl up against the window with one of Liam’s hoodies as a pillow and nap less than an hour after lunch. As Liam scanned his eyes over her, he made a mental reminder to ask ­­­­Sophia what she’d done to wear the girl out. Liam chuckled to himself, focusing on the road and the music playing softly from the radio.

The daze Liam had fallen into was broken by a yawn coming from the backseat.

“Welcome back to the land of the living, love,” He smiled at the sleepy girl. “How was your nap?”

“Good. Where are we?”

“We are in West Fargo, almost to Minnesota. Getting closer!” She smiled at the mirror and leaned her head back into her makeshift pillow.

“Can we play another game, Daddy?”

“We’re about to go through a town, love,” Liam said sadly. “ _But_ I can teach you how to make truck drivers honk their horns at you.”

“Yes! Jasmine told me she took a trip with her family and she got almost forty truckers to honk!”

“Well, I bet, with your cute face, we could beat that easy.”

He explained in detail, but quickly, as he focused on the road, that she had to make sure they were looking at her and mime pulling down on a string from the roof of the cab. When she asked why that was what she had to do, he told her that’s how they honked their horns. They didn’t press against the steering wheel to honk, instead, pulled on a cord above the window. Liam wasn’t surprised at her next question.

“On the roof!” She giggled. “Why do they have a horn on the _roof_?”

“I’m not sure, love. That’s a good question, though.”

Once Liam had passed through Fargo, and tractor trailers joined him on the interstate, it was time to put his teachings to work. The first few times, Avery seemed to get the timing a bit off, either pumping her arm too early, or too late. However, the first time that she made eye contact with a trucker as she pumped her arm and the horn blasted, the grin split her face so wide Liam thought it would never die back down. He wouldn’t be upset with that; her smile was blinding.

“That’s six, Daddy!” Avery cried when the loud horn rattled the windows.

“You’re doing amazing, love,” He smiled. Avery sought out a blue and green tractor trailer and, as they pulled up to it, Liam knew that he had passed them too quickly. He felt personally responsible for the way his daughter’s face fell, and he eased off the gas to allow the truck to move past them again. He shifted into the far-left lane, keeping one lane between them and the tractor trailer, before he coaxed his truck into going faster. Making sure they didn’t pass too quickly, Liam allowed himself to throw quick glances to the cab. Upon closer inspection, Liam was shocked.

“Aves, get _him_ to honk. He’s cute!” Liam chuckled as he focused on the _incredibly young_ lad behind the wheel of the large vehicle. The boy couldn’t have been far from Liam’s age, facial hair doing nothing to hide the youth-like features.

Avery’s arm pumped against the mirror, and after a rewarding _honk-honk_ , Liam could see the grins they both threw at each other, Avery’s in delight, and the boy’s seemingly in amusement. Liam only had a moment’s notice after glancing back at the cars in front of him to brake quickly. The cars in front of him were slowing, and Liam groaned.

“What’s wrong, Daddy?”

“I think there’s traffic up ahead, love.”

“I bet it won’t be too long, though,” Avery said easily. _Such an optimist_ Liam thought.

Liam had to shift into the lane to his right as he noticed his current lane was closed. He groaned again. Lane closures were better than wrecks, but Americans could never shift in an efficient manner, meaning they would be stuck here for a while.

To Avery’s delight, the blue and green truck from before pulled up next them with a hiss of brakes. Liam couldn’t make out the boy in the driver’s seat now that they were closer, but Liam easily recognized the unique colors of the cab.

“Daddy, why is that truck so different looking?’ Avery asked. When Liam turned to look at what she was pointing at, her finger indicated the truck to their right.

“I think that means it’s his. Sometimes truck drivers rent, or borrow, the cabs, but I’m pretty sure that he owns that one.”

“Oh, okay!”

It wasn’t two minutes later, after they managed to creep forward about fifty or so feet, when Avery asked him for some paper. He ducked down to rummage on the floorboard for a scrap piece of paper his daughter could draw on. She thanked him and immediately started scribbling.

About three minutes later, she looked up and huffed.

“What’s wrong, love?”

“Where’s the truck?” She looked around for the familiar truck, pouting at Liam in the mirror when she couldn’t find it.

“It’s behind us. Look, that lane is moving, here he comes.”

Avery pressed her paper against the window as the truck crept by. Avery grinned and waved, meaning she must’ve caught his attention. She giggled and pointed at Liam.

“What are you doing, silly girl?” She turned and showed Liam her sign.

_My dadde says your cut!_

Liam chuckled.

“I don’t think he’s _cut_ ,” Liam emphasized the wrong word, making Avery frown and look at her paper. “Remember the rule of the silent e? In _cute_ , the vowel says its name, U. The silent e makes the vowel say its name. _Cute_.” Liam stretched out the word so she could hear the sound of the vowel, and she nodded, fixing her mistake and pressing it back up to the window with a smile.

Avery sat and gestured to the driver next to them for five minutes, until traffic finally let up, and Liam was able to move. He eased back up to the speed limit and set his cruise control, glancing into the mirror to look at his daughter again. She was frowning.

“What’s wrong now, Aves?” Liam sighed.

“You’re driving too fast,” She accused. “He’s gone.”

“It’s okay, love.” Liam was at a loss. He was aching to get home to his bed, having been in his truck for too many hours in the last two days. Driving to Montana and back was a lot. “Maybe he’ll catch up?”

***

Zayn couldn’t stop the pull of his heart at the now-familiar truck pulled ahead. The little girl was cute and a welcome entertainment during the traffic jam. He sighed to himself and turned his music back up to focus on the road.

The monotony wasn’t broken with sweet smiles or funny notes when traffic got bad again as he entered Park Rapids, a little over an hour from his end point of Grand Rapids. He allowed a brief thought of the girl and her father, who apparently thought he was cute, wondering if they were also stuck somewhere in this traffic. However, before Zayn could get too bored, it let up again, and he was cruising.

Right outside Grand Rapids, he saw the sign for a rest stop ahead. His dry, heavy eyes warned him to get out and at least stretch, so he kept his eyes open for the exit. With a breath of relief and a glance to the clock that informed him of his last break, nearly six hours ago, he flicked on his blinker to take the exit. Parking his truck was a feat, but thankfully this was a big enough city that it warranted a larger rest stop, with parking for trucks out front. He slowly climbed out of the truck and stretched. The cracking of his back felt nice, and when he straightened back out, he felt much looser.

Zayn checked the door of his trailer, making sure the lock or latch hadn’t come loose. They hadn’t, which didn’t surprise him, but he’d gotten into the habit of checking every time he stopped. He’d read too many stories of products falling out of the back of a truck due to faulty locks, so it was better to cover his bases.

A quick glance to his surroundings told him that there were only a few other people here at the time, nearing five in the evening. The sight of a familiar truck had Zayn stilling to glance around a bit more. That was the truck Zayn saw the girl in; he was nearly sure of it. He chuckled, muttering to himself about _coincidences_ and _that’s funny_ as he stretched his legs and made his way to the bathrooms.

His feet carry him stiffly to the easily-identifiable bathrooms around the corner. A kid’s giggle made Zayn smile, his soft spot for kids not a secret to him. When his eyes settled on the source of the giggle, the small smile on his face grew. It was her, the girl from the truck. She was toeing at the ground outside the men’s room, probably waiting for her dad. Her eyes popped up at the movement, and she grinned widely in recognition when he got closer. She spoke, far enough that Zayn couldn’t make out her words, through her smile, but didn’t move.

She waved at him, and as he got closer and could take in the features of her face, Zayn guessed she was seven or eight. Zayn recognized the flush of a toilet and running water before _holy shit_ a fit _as fuck_ guy walked out. The girl took his hand, leaving Zayn’s brain to melt a bit. Dad. That was her dad. _I’d write on a sign that he’s cute, too_. Even the thought of doing something so childish had him blushing as he watched the girl drag her dad over, pointing at him.

“Him! The truck guy!” Zayn heard as they draw closer. Her American accent was sweet, soft, and nothing like the harsh, angry ones that Zayn had become used to by now. He waved awkwardly when her dad looked up at him with wide eyes.

“Hi mister. Thanks for honking your horn for me!” She chirped when they halted a few feet from Zayn.

“Of course, love. Couldn’t say no to a face as cute as yours!” She squealed with a clap.

“You talk like Daddy!” Zayn wasn’t sure what that meant but nodded.

“I’m Liam,” The man finally introduced. “This is Avery. She was very upset that I drove at the speed limit and you didn’t catch up.”

Zayn could feel his eyes bug out as he recognized the English accent. He schooled his features, looking between the two with a silent question.

“I’m English, but Avery was born here, and I decided to stay.” Liam shrugged.

“Me too. I love the US.” Zayn was happy to hear the accent but was hit with a wave of homesickness. He shook it off and wiped a hand down his shirt to offer his hand.

“Zayn,” He supplied belatedly.

“Why is your horn on the roof?” Avery asked. Her bright, wide eyes looked up at Zayn, and he couldn’t help but smile down, chuckling at the spontaneous question.

“Horns on big trucks like mine are connected to the air brakes. They give the horn more power, so they’re louder and I can get people’s attention if I need to,” Zayn explained. He glanced up at Liam, who had a thoughtful look on his face, nodding.

They grinned at each other stupidly. Zayn should feel at least some shame with how blatantly he was checking out this dad. For all Zayn knew, he was married, but a quick glance to his left hand showed no ring, and he _had_ called him cute.

“You drive a bug truck.” Avery helpfully supplied in the absence of conversation. Both adults awkwardly glanced at the other.

“I do.”

“Is it fun?”

“Of course. I get to meet cool people like you and your dad,” Zayn said with a chuckle. He’s running out of things to say. Hoping to segue into getting his number, Zayn patted his pockets for his phone. He cursed as he remembered it still being hooked up to the AUX cord in the truck.

Just as he was opening his mouth to request Liam’s phone, Avery took off to the truck, clearly bored with them. Liam sent him a helpless look, head whipping from Zayn to his daughter as she made her way recklessly through the parking lot.

“Good to meet you, mate,” Zayn said, stepping backwards and towards the door, giving Liam an easy out.

Liam’s apologetic face flashed an appreciative smile as he jogged after his daughter. Zayn sighed, rubbing his face, and ducked into the bathroom. A glance in the mirror eased his anxiety. He didn’t have anything in his teeth, and his hair wasn’t too crazy. It was too late to do anything, but it was comforting that at least he hadn’t looked too rumpled in front of the sexy father.

Zayn made quick work of his business before washing his hands. He splashed his face with water and grabbed some paper towels, patting it dry. He grabbed a few extra for his hands and walked back out to his truck. Liam was no longer parked where he had been, indicating he’d gotten back on the road to continue his trip.

Zayn climbed into the cab with practiced ease and started up the truck, feeling it shudder and rumble to life. After a quick snack of cheese and jerky, Zayn eased onto the entrance ramp for the interstate and continued his own journey.

Zayn’s eyes were drooping even more than normal as he pulled into the docking station. There had been no reason to stop after his break at the rest stop, so he drove through to Grand Rapids. He backed up to the ramp expertly and exited the cab to unlock the trailer. When his eyes raked over the dirt-covered door, keys twirling around finger, he froze.

There, etched into the dirt of his trailer door, was a number. He’d checked the latch before his trip to the bathroom at the rest stop and there had been no number then. Knowing he hadn’t stopped between the rest stop and Grand Rapids, there was only one person who could have done this. Slipping his phone out of his pocket, he entered the number with a smile, shot off a text, and detached his trailer.

When he climbed back into the cab once his job was done, there was a text waiting:

**Liam:**

**1 Text Message**

**Author's Note:**

> As usual, comments and kudos are craved and appreciated (in that order).  
> Hope you're all well!


End file.
